Inside The Decision: The Gleam Team

In his choice of running mate, Kerry made the gamble that a fresh face would electrify the campaign. An inside look at the team's battle plan to win the election's key voters

In May 2001, when Washington's political wags were the only ones playing the parlor game of presidential prospects, John Kerry, who has learned the value of forward observation in war and politics, went on a scouting mission. He and his wife Teresa invited John and Elizabeth Edwards over for an intimate gathering at their Georgetown mansion, along with half a dozen other guests. Peter Yarrow, of the folk-singing group Peter, Paul and Mary and an old Kerry buddy from his Vietnam protest days, was there. And so was Georgia's then Senator Max Cleland, who lost three limbs in that war. Dining...

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